VISUAL JOURNAL taking shape!

I have gone completely digital now. It turns out to be a lot easier to capture this unappealing, 90s, low budget computer graphics vibe. It is an effective way to communicate this 'virtual society' and digital aesthetics (even through collages)

• I suppose I have turned to a more experimental approach. I honestly wasn't sure what the outcome would be like when I played around with the 'Filter Gallery' on Photoshop. Though I suppose it is that experimental, glitchy and terrible effects that makes this 'digital aesthetic'.

tried adding some text in Indonesian. It
somehow helps give context to the collage?
(meant to communicate: stuck indoors/virtual world)

Trying out more glitch effects

• I feel that I should also focus more on the content? Lately I have been focused on how the visuals and less of the context.  

• Though along the process, the research and tests had been really helpful. Looking into Vaporwave, faux-nostalgic imageries and Pantone had been useful (it wasn't a waste!). Though creating these collages was harder than I had initially thought, especially when considering the content/context.

Gone completely digital and bonkers with Photoshop

• I am actually really glad how these turned out. I feel that the collages made more sense and that it somewhat communicates this idea of digital world/modern culture. 

• I also wanted to make a compare and contrast series between reality and the digital world? I felt that this would be an effective approach to put the collages in context.

• Though my thoughts on aesthetics have changed, as well as the answer to my question. It is quite difficult to create an artwork without meaning (purpose maybe). I feel that when I had created these collages, every thought was put into the process, choice of media, colours and its effects and the intention. 

Netizens - Internet Citizens/People of the Internet
(have no idea who first invented this...clever though!)G

• I feel that depending on the purpose of the illustrations, function and aestheticism should be balanced. People tend to be attracted to appealing visuals, the first thing people capture before words. Though it would be different in cases such as street signs or an airplane emergency landing instruction (prioritise function and coherence)

• Text also helped a lot in explaining since the imagery may sometimes seem vague. Though what I found fascinating is that all of the things I had done in COP made much more sense. It is also interesting to see the development. From a simple quote by Zeegan led to different topics, questions and a whole other subject matter.

Visual Journal update!

Thoughts

Lately I have been really fascinated by the idea of 'post-internet' aesthetics. I honestly think that they aren't the most visually appealing things, but instead I think that it has this pixelated, retro, comic sans vibe. (the best way I could describe this)

Felt like walking down memory lane.
With those cheesy Microsoft 'Word art'.

Static and grainy images. Now everything
is easily HD!

• I was trying to get my head around this concept and creating them through digital media seemed to work more than my other analog test pieces/work. I could get those distortions and poor overlaying/grainy effects.

• It wasn't exactly easy. I actually had to put some thought and planning to make these glitches and distortions. Though there is some sort of joy in purposefully creating something that has an unsettling feeling (e.g. asymmetrical things) and unappealing work (?)

I wanted to use my own photos and tweak them. 

COP NOTES - Modern Art in the Common Culture? What..?

"mass culture is never left behind in the modernist practice, but persists as a constant pressure on the artist, which severely restricts creative 'freedom'. 'Quality', it is true, remained in his eyes exclusively with the remnant of traditional high culture, but mass culture was prior and determining modernism was its effect." - Greenberg 

"individuality must lose its exclusiveness and its ruthless and perverse character." - Greenberg, 1936 essay.

• I was doing some further reading into the topic I am currently interested in. I have to say that the book wasn't particularly helpful as it mainly discusses 'art' that responded to culture in particular, rather than its links or influences on each other. 

• Though I thought that those two particular quotes throughout the book stood out to me. I do agree with the statements "severely restricts creative 'freedom'" and "individuality must lose its exclusiveness". This book was written around 1998, but I feel that these theories particularly relate to current creative practitioners. 

• I feel that it is a good thing that art is loosing its exclusiveness and creative practitioners are creating work that are responses to the world or at the very least meaningful. 

• However it is the 'mass culture', the media and modern society that may influence the artists' practice. I am not trying to generalise this statement, however it is something that could be seen to some creative practitioner with no distinct practice. Some tend to be immersed by clients, trend,  other creative practitioners or society's preference. (too fixated on others, rather than trying to develop their own practice)

Source:

T, Crow. Modern Art in the Common Culture. 1998. Yale University Press, New Haven and London.

COP NOTES - Visual journal time!

• I was trying out a more conceptual and abstract approach. This was attempt to depict 'glitches' and immersing oneself in the digital age. Though I feel that it isn't as effective as glitch-ing images digitally. It doesn't have that concise, clear shapes and lines as well as colours. 

• I tried to work with the CMYK colours, however it wasn't as vivid as I thought it would be.

Deleting some of the coding = the gray spaces

I was creating the glitches on text edit!

Thoughts

• This was actually a very interesting experiment. It still amazes and surprises me how these images we see on screen are all made out of characters, numbers and symbols, yet we perceive them as normal images!

• Though this was more of a trial and error kind of process, since I have no clue on how coding works (I figured later that the coding goes from top to bottom)'

I really like these small, pixelated glitches

• I am not quite satisfied with the glitches, I was expecting more pixelated parts instead of the straight, static lines. Though I might do a few more tweaking and experiments on Photoshop/Illustrator

COP NOTES - Colour and Subcultural Sublimation (More research...)

Pantone Colour of the Year 2016 release copy

Learned a new word!!

SUBCULTURAL -being a group that has values which are different/against 'mainstream' culture 

• I came across an article, which I thought was quite amusing. I do agree with the idea of current consumers needing balance in their fast-paced, industrial, modern lifestyle. 

• I also find it interesting that colours correlate with human psychology (mainly moods). They made an interesting point that due to 'modern day stresses' people tend to seek colours such as light purples, blues, pinks due to the soothing/calming atmosphere it gives off.

Kastor and Pollux (https://www.instagram.com/kastorandpollux/)

• I'm usually inspired by fashion/fashion-photography blogs as they play with solid colours and patterns, perhaps a most effective approach to emphasise the product. Also works well with collages! (currently looking into this) 

"The tonal pink and blue palette has been growing exponentially in popularity online since the emergence (circa 2010-11), purported death (circa 2012)...subculture of internet-fuelled art employing what can be described as a Tumblr aesthetic." (a passage from the journal)

• I'd like to point out how true this particular statement is, where the idea of 'aesthetics', simplicity and minimalism is something that is popular online. I feel that this approach is somewhat reflecting faux-nostalgia and 'hipster aesthetics'. Though I feel that this is something that is quite subjective as not everyone particularly like this digital aesthetic. 

• Though I feel that due to the nature of trends, society, the internet, this sort of artistic approach are slapped into peoples' faces. Sometimes literally.

"Analysis of the genre points to Vaporwave operating within what can be described as an accelerationist framework; expanding, repurposing and exaggerating the techno-social processes of capitalism in order to provoke radical social change."

• Reading through this article it made me think that the idea of capitalism, consumerism, industrial and digital age might affect artists' practice (?) I feel that due to such things, it could change the way creative practitioners create work -I suppose in terms of who it is made for and how it's made, and less towards why.  

SOCIAL EXPERIMENT! 
my current Instagram feed. I was trying out what society claims 
internet 'aesthetics' is and see people's reactions.

"Softness as a weapon."

• The idea of 'softness' and pastels may relate to the derogatory of gender comments, a pro-female aesthetic. It is a tool to deconstruct and subvert patriarchal mindset. I think that it's quite a subjective statement, though there is some point to all these pinks and purple aesthetics.

• Though I feel that I often see these in commercial fashion, photography and some art. Then again, these commercial fashion are often modelled by women and catered for women. 

• Also in relation to the digital age, photographs (especially Photoshop-ing them afterwards) in a way is already a digital way of capturing/painting 'art' or a scene (a modern media.

Graphic Design & Social Change, LOKI is an independent graphic design in Montreal. Founded by Kevin Yuen Kit Lo.

Article Link: https://www.lokidesign.net/journal/2016/2/22/the-

propaganda-of-pantone-colour-and-subcultural-sublimation

COP LECTURE - Modernity/Modernism (Notes)

From what I understood (key words): 

• modernity - industrialisation/urbanisation --> modern artists' response to the city (It is a psychological and subjective experience)

• everything gets standardised. There is a sense of humanity shifting the rules of nature/control (even time gets controlled?) 

• surrounds the idea of enlightenment and secularisation - little social power/cultural authority 

• Haussmanisation - easier to control city militaristically/social control/accommodate modern life (infrastructure etc)

• design in a specific order: the centre of paris gets gentrified/the W.C gets marginalised (out into the suburbs) --> most modern city designed for that purpose by Haussman 

• individualistic society/submerged in the modern ideology

• modern capitalism/humans as faceless robots --> dictated to behave a certain ways

• pace of the development of the world - sublime/dizzying fear 

Thoughts

• I would just like to point out the topic discussed during today's lecture. It was an interesting view on Modernity and Modernism. There were a few things that I never considered, in terms of human behaviour. 

• I'd say that there is a reason behind the current consumerist and capitalist culture seen in today's society. It frustrates me how this behaviour did not seem to change since then. 

COP NOTES - Holly Hendon, Fatima Al Qadiri, DEAN!

Fatima Al Qadiri - D-Medley
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm7B1_Q6tfg)

Personally I'm not too into the techno-electronic music, however I thought that her music videos were very interesting!

Holly Hendon - Chorus/Home (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHujh3yA3BE || https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_3mCDJ_iWc)

• There is something about the poorly made, glitchy and strange 3D CGI aesthetics. I feel that they have their own charm about it. They aren't visually appealing, though looking at these videos, it slightly scares me how normal it seems.

• Perhaps it might be because I grew up, exposed to all these sort of digital vibes and technology (emoticons, symbols etc). Also from the COP lectures on Modernism and Post-modernism, there is some sense and connection to the current age and time. We live in a world filled with convenience, technology, mass-production, consumerism etc. 

Dean - Put my hands on you
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlM8zQ2PwbM)

• He is a Korean R&B musician, however what attracts me to his work (aside from his music) are his music videos. His music videos has a certain minimal aesthetic to it. He either works around either really indie/vintage or futuristic themes. The cinematography is usually very faded and the colours are quite monotonous or within close hues. 

• Not only are these things online, though I could see it everywhere. We live in an era where we are constantly bombarded with information through magazines, television, billboards (imagine Times Square). Though generally I feel that this idea of 'aesthetics' and 'digital era' is quite interesting as it seems to be spreading like a wildfire online.